Venus and Serena have previously faced off against each other nine times on an ESPN networkGETTY IMAGES
Venus and Serena Williams meet for the 30th time as pros on Friday night, and it is the earliest the two have met at a major since their first pro meeting in the Round of 64 at the '98 Australian Open. Execs in Bristol wasted no time in giving the matchup more prominent placement on ESPN vs ESPN2. Execs moved "SportsCenter" and "College Football Countdown" over to ESPN2 in the 6:00-9:00pm ET window, with Venus-Serena now a lead-in for Western Kentucky-Wisconsin on ESPN. Tonight's match marks the 10th time the sisters have played on an ESPN network. The most-watched of those was the '15 U.S. Open quarterfinals (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
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TOP VENUS-SERENA MATCHES ON ESPN NETWORKS
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EVENT
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ROUND
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NET
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VIEWERS (000)
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'15 U.S. Open
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Quarterfinals
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ESPN
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3,321
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'03 Australian Open
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Final
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ESPN
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2,400
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'17 Australian Open
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Final
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ESPN
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926
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'15 Wimbledon
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Round of 16
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ESPN
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732
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'14 Rogers Cup
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Semifinals
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ESPN2
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516
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THIS IS WHAT THEY WANT: ESPN's Bomani Jones said the Venus-Serena matchup still has him "excited," but "maybe in a different way at this point." Jones: "The fact they're 20 years deep in a career is mind-blowing … and this is the greatest story perhaps of 20th century American sports. … I don't think we have given enough credit to the historical magnitude of the two of these women and that's even while we say Serena Williams is the greatest player of all-time, because the most underrated of her era is Venus Williams." ESPN's Pablo Torre: "In tennis, we measure the number of meetings that defines our great rivalries. It's Navratilova and Evert and these two. Those are the 1-2 in terms of the matchups we're now most accustomed to seeing and now that we see it at this moment in time it's not so much about who is going to win, it's just appreciate what we've had for all of these years" ("High Noon," ESPN2, 8/30). In N.Y., Christopher Clarey writes an all-Williams match "generates its own weather system and also, at this stage, plenty of nostalgia" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/31). ESPN's Patrick McEnroe, "We in the tennis world are extremely lucky to have both of them still going"("U.S. Open," ESPN, 8/29).
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT: ESPN's Frank Isola said it is a "great story any time they play," but to him, it is an "exhibition tennis match, it's not compelling theater." Isola said, "They're both sisters and love each other. I'm not saying they're not competing, but I'd rather watch Serena play Sloane Stephens or Garbine Muguruza where I know the level of competition." ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said there are "other factors that work here because of the nature of their relationship that it's almost a turn away for me." Kornheiser: "I'm not sure I want to sit and watch it" ("PTI," ESPN, 8/30).
APPRECIATE IT WHILE YOU: TODAY's Christine Brennan noted in Grand Slam events, the Williams sisters' matches "tend to be relatively few and far between." Brennan: "So who's to say we'll ever see this remarkable rivalry play out again in a major tournament?" Early on, fans "took this all for granted, not realizing the magnitude of their talent and the significance of their historic and legendary careers" (USA TODAY, 8/31). ESPN's Sarah Spain said it is "insulting to not think they respect themselves, their careers, and the sport enough to go out every time they face each other and try to win." ESPN's Jason Fitz said, “What kind of look is it if one of them just mails it in?" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 8/31).
